Spring Cleaning in January

 I know it’s not spring yet, but the Lord has put it on my heart that it is time for some “spring-cleaning”.  I’m not talking about cleaning out the closet or the garage; I’m talking about a “spring-cleaning” of the heart.  I’m talking about ridding my life of things that distract me from the Lord’s presence.  

It was very convicting to me when my pastor defined impurity as "anything that is not Christ-like".  Our goal as followers of Christ is to become more like Him.  We cannot love Jesus and the things of the world at the same time (1 John 2:1-17). We must choose one, and as believers we are saying that we have chosen Christ and not the world.  We must fill our lives with more of Christ and less of this world. 

Purity begins with prayer.  My prayer is that Jesus will reveal to me the things in my life that are not of Him. I want Him to clean out my life of the things of this world so that all that is left is His presence! Jesus so desires a purified bride and that is what I want to present to Him with my life. 

What are the unnecessary things in your life that the Lord is convicting you of today? The first thing Jesus convicted me of when I began this prayer for purity was the TV shows I watch.  They are not necessary and if I’m being honest I only watched them to fill up my time and my mind when I was feeling lazy and bored.  The things those shows filled my mind with were not Christ-like.  I want to fill my mind and my spirit with things that honor the Lord, not things that distract me from Him. 

I am so desperate to see God, to know God, and to love God more.  The Lord is showing me that in order to do that I need to have an undistracted and purified heart and mind.   Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Yes, Lord, this is my desire. Purify me, Jesus, so that I may see you more.

“Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

1 John 3:2-3